Educational App Development: Must-Have Features for Smart Learning

Educational App Development: Must-Have Features for Smart Learning

The impact of globalization is profoundly affecting the field of education. Numerous educational organizations around the globe are now beginning to shift from traditional teaching methods toward a new learning approach. However, some schools, secondary schools, universities, language learning institutions, elementary schools, tutoring establishments, vocational or technical schools, and academy schools aren't ready to join the trend.

Although many schools have realized the value of having a mobile-based App Development Learning, some aren't adopting the idea for diverse reasons. The lack of funds, the difficulty of creating and maintaining mobile applications, and the cost of development are only some of the factors hindering some schools from launching their own mobile apps. However, these issues shouldn't stop the development of educational mobile applications.

We hope you'll gain valuable knowledge on these issues and simultaneously feel inspired to initiate the next educational mobile app development creation project.

Read Also: Top Educational App Ideas to Consider in 2024 for Startups

What Is An Educational App?

Educational software is generally designed to aid users with remote learning. Before, there were limited options and no notion of online learning. However, with the advancement of technology, learning online is now more convenient and easy. Nowadays, users can self-learn any subject, anywhere, anytime. Technology for developing educational apps can open up an array of possibilities for business. This technology allows enterprises to expand their operations to a new level.

The principal function of an education app is to provide countless complete, meaningful online learning options that would have been a challenge in the past. The most notable examples of developing educational apps are Google Classroom, Edmodo, Zoom, Photomath, edX, Duolingo, and Scratch.

Significance Of Mobile Apps In The Future Education System

There's been much discussion about the significant change in the field of education experience. The biggest change is how we distribute, access, and consume content for education. The current tools in the sector were not up to scratch. They had been proving an obstacle in advancing education with other areas to be more effective, speedier, and efficient. 

The time is right for traditional education to embrace the latest technology and change its approach to enter an age of uniform information accessible through a one-point global distribution system. It is only an unfortunate coincidence that an advanced educational mobile app development has all the characteristics and abilities to provide an educational experience suitable for today's learners.

Must Read: Future of Education Mobile App revolutionize Learning

Benefits Of Using Education Mobile Apps

Following the worldwide pandemic that struck the world, education is experiencing rapid technological growth. Technology is on the side of education, and all industries are finding new methods of doing things. Technology hasn't been utilized in the field of education in the past, but the application of technology in education is limited.

Utilizing technology was once a possibility, but nowadays, it's an obligation. It's resulted in the widespread adoption of Educational App Development, enabling businesses, especially in education, to achieve new heights. In the case of compulsory distance learning, there was a clear indication that there was an enormous demand for equipment and tools that would allow instructors to connect with students, monitor their education progress, and distribute their courses.

Let's explore more deeply the advantages of constructing an app for education.

Convenient Accessibility

The notion of learning is evident in our minds. There is clear evidence that this learning method will enable students to access the content anytime, from any location, whenever. Downloading apps is easy through mobile phones and other smartphones. This kind of software gives flexibility in two areas. First, it permits the implementation of educational applications regardless of the whereabouts of the teachers or students. A second option is using cloud storage services that allow for accessibility from various devices.

You can access all the educational software tools on your smartphone and reap the benefits. These apps allow users to connect with anyone worldwide and gain knowledge of these apps. You can access this feature at any time, anywhere on the internet. Some apps permit offline access.

Permanent Source Of Education

Compared to previous years, information technology was focused on fixed devices and devices with fixed use. Currently, where technological innovation and expansion are growing and accelerating, users require continuous access to knowledge bases. Mobile devices are usually located in the hands of the same person. They enable continuous education. As opposed to more conventional teaching techniques that mandate assignments be completed at times that fit students' schedules, today's methods allow for flexible assignment completion at times that suit individuals best. Teachers can move the passive portion of teaching outside the confines of their classroom. 

Additionally, mobile phones can be used at any time and have significant benefits. They allow you to have valuable materials, easy social interactions, and access to facilities if there is an internet connection. Mobile phones allow for continuous education in the military or even disaster zones, a perfect example of the concept of constant.

Improved Customer Engagement

Kids enjoy playing educational games. They can be stimulating and enjoyable. Teachers might have difficulty convincing students to be attentive in classes, but they don't have to struggle to persuade them to access the computer. Physical classes are simple since you can go into the students' place and get them to understand. In these lessons, you only have to make your class enjoyable, encouraging participants to be interested in the class. In general, the classes are enjoyable. 

However, some lectures might be tied to a particular area due to the use of an app. Utilizing educational apps can engage students in subjects they usually avoid. But in general, the application provides:

  • Much fun

  • Featuring interactive pictures

  • Storytelling

  • PowerPoint presentations

  • Videos that will keep users in your application

  • Diversified Content

We recognize that there's a wealth of information available on the internet. There are many options for people to select their preferred platforms. Because there's a wide variety, it's simple for users to access. It is possible to choose what they want. They are also able to influence many users from across the world to access it on various subjects or topics.

With access to an array of different media, you have an opportunity to distinguish yourself from your competitors. Your app can be distinctive and innovative. This can be achieved using modern technology, frameworks, and programming languages that best suit your app and complement its appearance.

Interactive Learning

One of the main advantages of learning apps is the possibility of customization. Personalization is among the most enjoyable teaching methods, allowing learners to use apps more frequently. Interactive apps aren't a force for users to join; however, they are fun and interactive, and you may need them at some point. Educational apps are rapidly being embraced as the primary method for teaching learners because they permit learners to work at their own pace while in the comfort of their homes.

Learning through interactive technology has always been a part of the curriculum in the classroom, but through virtual learning, the procedure has been improved in a more significant way. Furthermore, move up to the next level of education based on individual preference and information gained, independently evaluate your achievements, and then complete any additional tasks to consolidate your knowledge. In addition, the mobile phone permits each student to learn material in the most appropriate format. There are many ideal methods to learn through these platforms, including video, PowerPoints, GIFs, and storytelling, among other engaging methods.

Round-The-Clock Availability

Participants can utilize this software at any time. This is in contrast to traditional school students, who must take notes from an instructor when absent from a class. Students taking online classes aren't required to fret about missing all online classes. Since recorded lectures are accessible, users can return and go over any class that has been given whenever they want to.

Furthermore, students can save the lesson and return to it later. This allows them to study in a comfortable environment without any time limitations. Students can always find an approach to managing their time, lifestyle, and education even when they don't wish to.

Cost Effectiveness

Cost is among the significant reasons why companies choose to go online. They don't realize this is cost-effective, which can result in many issues on their minds. What is the cost to be incurred in this procedure? Will it be costlier than the conventional method of instruction? What can we do to save money? There are many other similar concerns. To answer this question, online education is highly economical, as you can expect the benefit of saving money in various areas. 

Today, it is talked about everywhere. Only a handful of businesses provide physical courses, and everyone has gone online. It's a plan that demonstrates financial benefits and positive results. If you choose an educational mobile app development, ensure it will yield cost-effective results and increase overall efficiency for your company.

Systematic And Improved Learning Ability

Mobile learning apps are much greener than traditional learning techniques, which use many materials, such as pencils, pens, and other materials. Both education apps support learning through Systematic and Smart approaches. All information in educational apps is well organized to inspire students to learn more and take a systematic approach. High-end educational software permits students to go through a rational and seamless process with little effort. In addition, these programs allow users to download notes of reference for themselves. In addition, mobile apps provide more efficient and faster methods to learn.

Read Also: Enhance Online Education App Business with an Educational App Development Company

Essential Features For An Educational Mobile App

The main characteristics of a mobile educational application ensure that it works according to purpose. This also means that the application meets the primary needs of its users, namely students and teachers. These are the most important advantages of a mobile app for education.

  • Primary Features For Students

Login And Sign Up

The features allow the user to be distinct within your app and enable users to establish their accounts and track their performance. The ideal sign-up procedure must be a single step, utilizing email or social media credentials.

Profile Of The User

The learner's account should include simple user details and a profile photo. In their profile, the user should be able to view specific information about their personal details and apps, including the number of paid courses, payment details, etc.

Search Bar And Filter

Students should be able to find educational materials effortlessly using a search engine. Keyword searches and category browsing are two of the most used search tools available on apps for eLearning. Additionally, you may want to incorporate an engine for recommendation to provide appropriate courses and materials to your students.

Payment Gateway

You must integrate an online payment system if your educational application is based on paid subscriptions or has paid courses. Integrations with payment gateways, such as PayPal, allow for simple and rapid payments. Many mobile applications also have Google Pay and Apple Pay integrations, which make the payment process more efficient. 

Additionally, the wallet, credit card, and various other payment options increase your payment options. Payment data and credentials should be kept secure within the app, regardless of the gateway.

Push Notifications

Notifications and alerts are popular features that keep users engaged and let Education Mobile App Development Company create two-way communications. Notifications let learners know about changes or the latest challenges. For example, notifications could help users see the latest courses, suggestions, or even features that have not been locked.

Analytics For Learning

Furthermore, these apps show how much they have learned by displaying active and completed courses, badges, certifications, achievements, and goals. The ideal scenario is for this feature to be displayed as a complete overview.

Material For Learning

EdTech applications commonly categorize learning material based on its relevance, topic, or other factors. This could include theoretical classes, interactive exercises in text videos, audio lectures or live-stream lectures, and assessments.

Cloud Integration, As Well As Support For Cross-Platform Platforms

Because teachers and students typically use different devices to learn, ensuring your users' experience is as seamless as possible is imperative. 

  • Primary Features For Teachers

Set-Up And Login

The login feature allows teachers to sign in to the app's e-learning system and begin using the application. This feature also lets instructors create profiles and validate their identities using a mobile phone or email.

Profile Dashboard

The feature allows teachers to add and showcase their professional data within the application. Profile features should enable teachers to include work-related information, such as their employer's name, educational background, expertise, and job title. Also the courses or subject areas they teach, their certifications, and other pertinent information.

Student Management Dashboard

The dashboard that students manage allows teachers to control and track their students' activities and data effectively. This dashboard will make it much easier and more efficient for teachers to see students' assignments, tasks, requirements performance, tests, and attendance. The dashboard students manage can also be compared to an old-fashioned class journal, which teachers use to record their students' comments and grade information.

Section For Course Management

The section lets teachers oversee and organize all classes and lessons they're in charge of. The course management section will also have a function that allows instructors to share learning resources like pictures, PDF documents, and even videos related to the subject.

Testing Tools For Making

Teachers must also be able to create online tests for students to assess their abilities. So, having a custom test maker is crucial to this particular user group. The ideal solution is to let teachers distribute tests online, track the results, and mark the tests.

Must Read: Create an Educational App for Android and iOS

Features For An Advanced Educational Mobile App

In addition to the standard elements that all mobile applications require to function, more advanced capabilities can be incorporated to refine your app. A custom ecommerce solution can customize your application to suit particular requirements and provide an exceptional user experience. We will look at some of the incredible features available in today's most popular and sophisticated mobile educational apps.

Live Streaming

Interaction between students and teachers is essential to effective learning. Unfortunately, most educational mobile applications are not equipped to foster interaction. Suppose you'd like to make your mobile education application unique among the many options for sale. In that case, you should consider adding features to enhance the interactions between students and teachers. One of these innovative options is a live stream. Live streaming can make learning more effective and efficient by enabling students' and instructors' live interaction in real-time.

File-Sharing

The file-sharing feature allows students and teachers to share documents like images, videos, files, and any other multimedia files with one another. It is no longer necessary to transfer the files via an alternative platform such as Facebook or email, as they can do so through the app. It makes uploading, downloading, and accessing the file quicker and easier.

Exams And Practical Tests

It doesn't matter whether your institution is based on conventional or modern learning methods. You will have students take examinations and tests. Exams and practice exams are crucial elements of learning. Additionally, they're an effective method of assessing the level of understanding the students have acquired so far. 

Including an area in your application for practical exams and tests is essential to make it easier for teachers and students. It is also possible to add an option to take mock tests for students to utilize to prepare and learn before taking an actual test or examination.

Hand Signal System

The non-verbal feedback or hand signaling system enables students to speak with their teacher in live classes without disrupting the discussions. For example, if the student has any issues or questions that must be resolved, he/they could click "raise hand signal." In addition, if a teacher wants to know if everyone in the lecture has understood the class, students need to click" approve hand signal" to indicate that they have understood the lesson.

In-Session Chat

One of the most impressive aspects of top mobile education apps is their in-session chat feature. Chat in-session permits students to ask concerns about their lesson and get responses from their instructor in real time. Students can also participate in live discussions and interact with their peers. Like live streaming, this option can also help cultivate social interactions and encourage students to be active and comprehend the lesson.

Chat Feature

The learning application should permit teachers and students to communicate and work together anytime. In contrast to the chat in session, which allows teachers and students to interact live during sessions, the basic chat feature lets users communicate between class times. The group chat feature is a great option for adding this function. The feature allows educators to track their students' performance rapidly, quickly share pertinent details, and even make vital announcements.

Session Recording

The session recording option permits teachers and students to capture live discussions and review the recordings later. Integrating this feature into the educational mobile app development  helps increase student participation. It will eliminate the requirement for students to take notes during live discussions, which can affect their concentration when students can take notes during live sessions and concentrate on listening to what is being discussed. They also provide helpful resources for students to review their classes as they prepare for tests.

Offline Schooling

A great feature of a modern mobile application for e-learning is the option to go to school offline. This feature allows learners to download recordings of their lessons and modules to study offline. This allows them to access their classes even if they cannot participate in online sessions or have no internet access.

Breakout Rooms

This option allows teachers to divide the class into smaller groups and hold the classes in separate sessions. This is useful for assigning assignments for groups and monitoring the assignments.

Screen Sharing

Adding the screen sharing feature on your app for educational use will surely draw users seeking effective and efficient methods to screen share. Screen sharing features allow instructors to share their screens with their class and students. Viewing the teacher's screen can make it easier for teachers to present their lessons and for students to comprehend what the teacher wants to communicate. 

Additionally, it helps increase the teacher-student relationship and ensures that all students are in the same boat. Furthermore, it is an excellent feature for sharing screens with others. Screen sharing can be beneficial in classes. Students can connect their screen to all or select viewers when they must present in class.

Customization

Each person is unique, particularly regarding learning capabilities, aptitude, habits of study, and preferences. The best educational apps allow users to personalize the application according to their own desires and preferences. Through the use of customization options, users can customize their education experience according to the best fit for their needs.

Polls

A different way to increase students' engagement is to add polls to your curriculum. The feature lets teachers post live polls or even questions. Students can take the poll and check the results instantly.

Social Media Integration

Integrating social media with Facebook allows students to communicate their achievements with family and friends across various social media platforms. Additionally, it provides users with an easy login process and account creation options.

Push Notifications

The push notifications feature provides users with instant notifications about any new information regarding the courses or classes. Teachers are notified about forthcoming courses every time a student sends in a report or activity or when students want to enroll in the class. Students will also receive an email when their classes, schedules, and more are updated. This is a fantastic method to ensure everybody knows the most recent updates throughout the course.

Gamification

These days, learners like playing games more than doing research. Furthermore, many students are more successful in learning through games or participating in enjoyable experimentation. To attract the attention of such learners, it is essential to create a mobile application for education that is as engaging, interactive, and fun as possible. One of the best methods to accomplish this is to use gamification. Gamification aims to provide students with learning options through a game format. It allows them to play and simultaneously learn.

Here are the most critical and sophisticated features to consider when developing a great mobile app for e-learning. 

Read About: A Ultimate Guide To Education App Development For 2024

How Much Does It Cost To Develop An Educational Mobile App?

The price of creating an educational mobile app development  is very flexible and is contingent on a variety of variables, such as but not only:

  • The app's complexity

  • Type of app

  • Location

  • Development time

  • The features to be added

  • The technology stack that is required

  • The amount of development staff

  • The Education App Development Company expertise

The expense of learning application development is usually based on an hourly basis, depending on whether the developer provides services for a project on an hourly basis. Consider the duration to get a rough idea of your educational mobile app development project, which includes essential functions. Mobile consultations may provide crucial information on optimizing costs and increasing the efficiency of your project. To reduce costs, we suggest creating an MVP in the beginning. An MVP aids app creators in cutting development costs and better understanding the relevant features and demands.

Also Read: Educational App Development Emerging Trends

Future Trends In Edtech App Development

We also wish to identify the following trends that will be a part of the capabilities of an e-learning application. These are the most effective techniques you need to think about when designing your application:

Machine Learning And AI

ML and AI will profoundly affect education. On one side, we anticipate that machine learning will improve personalization. Machine learning tools will be able to monitor the behavior of their users and adapt specific software programs to meet their requirements. However, modern AI can create specific content targeted at particular users rather than for a general population. For example, Foreign language instructors utilize the platform to design text and exercises for language learners.

AR And VR Integration 

Many concepts that are prevalent in our present require people to possess 3D thinking. Some people are not equipped, and some are better at interacting with reality than abstract ideas. AR/VR will solve this problem completely and permanently. What are they doing to solve this? Most importantly, they allow the creation of 3D areas or even insert 3D objects into the actual process. With these tools, educators can teach complex concepts through virtual objects. 

Internet Of Things

A growing number of devices today come with computers capable of connecting to the Internet, a phenomenon known as the Internet of Things. There are currently a myriad of smart TVs and refrigerators available. It is likely that we will see an increase in these options in the educational sector. Smart boards that connect to the Internet or intelligent pens could be the future of education.

Microlearning

Many people involved actively in learning are working. Therefore, lengthy classes are a significant challenge for students. Many students may not have enough patience, and some may lack motivation. Is there a way to help? Microlearning: Minimal sessions that maximize the benefits even in the tiniest timeframes.

Blockchain

Blockchain technology is designed to create records that cannot be changed. Its main benefit is that it can be evident in the financial sector, which requires this degree of accuracy. However, we can also see the advantages of blockchains for the education sector. Imagine you're running an exam application that is national in scope. Blockchain technology can serve two purposes: to confirm the app's users and to block any illegal modification of the exam's outcomes. We believe that the use of blockchain will increase security in education over the next time.

Frameworks that are based on empirical evidence

The main issue with older apps in the ed-tech market was that they needed to be based on the proper frameworks based on evidence. Unfortunately, most frameworks were designed by those with no formal education in studying sciences. We're currently seeing the shift to strategies that employ new methods. In particular, a lot of apps available today use interleaving. The growth of AI can be an excellent tool for personalized and inquiry-based learning. Overall, an evolution towards more efficient techniques over traditional methods is taking place in the marketplace.

Big Data Integration

Another aspect to be considered is the growth of so-called Big Data. Mobile apps for education collect massive amounts of data about individuals and their actions. The information is often so extensive that it's unreadable by human beings. What makes this helpful information is the rapid growth of machine learning. Utilizing the latest AI and machine-learning tools can yield enormous amounts of helpful information. These are crucial for improving learning today.

Conclusion

Many educational mobile app development firms have school management software and other mobile apps for various purposes, making it easier for a school to inform students about its events. Students are embracing new teaching methods through mobile apps. Mobile applications can aid students in solving problems and learning more efficiently. Mobile apps will revolutionize education, and they are helping to pave the way for its development.

Developing an educational mobile app is no longer an option but a requirement. However, it's not enough to capture your potential customer's attention to create the same app that is widely used today. The app you create for education will stand out from all the others. The best method for this is to make it according to the users' particular requirements you want to attract. We are sure you've learned many things from the previously discussed subject. In addition to selecting the most compelling features and the most appropriate technological stack, choosing the top educational mobile app development firm is crucial for the development success of your idea.