The Next Wave of EdTech: Can Custom Software Solve the Crisis in Remote Education?

The global COVID-19 pandemic remains to be one of the most significant events in recent history, but what does that mean for the education sector? Is the crisis in remote education solved? 

Forcing a global shift in industries around the world, especially the education sector. As students around the world moved towards remote learning, there was a hidden potential discovered, amongst a couple of limitations. On one hand, remote learning made education more flexible and accessible, students could be going on trips but would still be able to take their classes and finish their courses. This accessibility was a wonder for those who were living in isolate communities and couldn’t commute to the school. Apart from that, e-learning platforms showcased a huge library filled with learning resources, surpassing the limitations of a physical library. 

This transition didn’t come without some cracks, though, as there was a huge gap in real-time interaction and activities such as collaborative learning. Although these problems didn’t seem big, they hindered the development of teamwork and communication skills. Unfair access to technology and reliable internet also caused some students to fall behind. The absence of the “boundness” felt in a physical classroom prevented recreation, leading to distractions and decreased student focus. Similarly, not many teachers were tech-savvy and failed to follow remote teaching guidelines, which impacted the quality of digital learning experiences. 

In the atmosphere of both promise and danger, Educational Technology (EdTech) emerged. Being a game-changer, offering several tools and technologies that could revolutionize both the online teaching and learning experience. EdTech minimizes the limitations of an online classroom and creates a dynamic remote learning environment with several benefits. Before we answer whether custom software can solve the remote learning crisis or not, let’s learn a bit more about EdTech.

How EdTech Could Be a Game-Changer for Educational Reforms

As introduced, EdTech comes with a huge toolkit filled with different technologies that are designed to transform the online teaching and learning experience completely. With the help of a learning management system (LMS), EdTech facilitates online course delivery alongside several educational apps that have various interactive learning modules and important online courses that offer unprecedented learning opportunities.

According to a survey in 2021, the global EdTech market size was valued at USD 155,022 million, and since then has been expected to grow at a rate of 26.32%, valuing it at USD 467,263 million by 2027.  

Educational reforms that are still stuck in their traditional ways can have a limited learning experience, and here is why:

• Lack of Personalization

The traditional curriculum doesn’t necessarily mean that it caters to every student’s learning styles or the pace at which they take their learning. Students can become bored very easily, and going fast is not an option so slower learners can’t be left behind. 

• Limited Accessibility

Different kinds of geographical barriers and limitations can restrict access to quality education. Traditional classrooms aren’t in any way equipped to deal with the needs of students who have different learning styles and limited accessibility to the education they deserve. 

• Engagement Issues

Gone are the days of lectures and textbooks. These tools are not the way to grab the attention of students and retain it throughout the lecture. These traditional teaching methods aren’t able to maximize students’ potential. 

EdTech offers a compelling solution to these challenges

• Personalized Learning

EdTech tools have the capability to cater the system according to an individual’s learning needs and styles. Modern adaptive learning platforms can similarly present content and take assessments that allow them to tailor the course to each student’s weaknesses or strengths. 

• Increased Accessibility

EdTech platforms offer more accessibility, whether they are located or have other limitations, such as bad internet. These platforms make education more accessible to all, allowing students to learn from anywhere in the world with features such as subtitles/closed captions, text-to-speech conversions, and other methods that support students with disabilities. 

• Improved Engagement

EdTech offers multiple ways to keep students engaged and motivated. From interactive tools to multimedia content, educational apps make the learning process a more fun and interactive one. Students can even use simulations and virtual reality experiences for a more immersive learning experience.

The Most Pertaining Challenges of EdTech in Remote Learning

Remote education holds potential in multiple sectors, from personalized and accessible online learning homeschooling opportunities to virtual classrooms. Having become more and more prevalent because of events like the COVID-19 pandemic. While there are several benefits, such as flexibility and accessibility, that remote education offers, there are some unique challenges that are faced by teachers and students too, such as:

• Lack of interaction and collaboration: Remote settings can limit opportunities for real-time interaction and collaborative learning activities. Traditional classroom discussions and group projects can be difficult to replicate virtually, potentially hindering the development of communication and teamwork skills.
• Technological barriers: Unequal access to technology and reliable internet can create disparities in learning experiences. Students from low-income families or remote locations may lack the necessary devices or internet connectivity to fully participate in online learning.
• Distractions and lack of focus: Students may struggle to focus in remote environments with fewer external controls. At home, distractions like siblings, pets, or electronic devices can disrupt learning, hindering student engagement and motivation.
• Teacher training and support: Educators may require additional training and support to effectively use technology for remote instruction. Traditional teaching methods may not translate well to online platforms, and teachers may need to learn new skills for creating engaging and interactive virtual lessons.

While existing solutions like video conferencing platforms and pre-made online courses offer some support for remote learning, they often lack the customization and flexibility needed to address these challenges effectively. This is where custom software development for EdTech emerges as a potential game-changer.

Can Custom Software Solutions Be the Ultimate Solution for EdTech?

According to another survey, the EdTech market, without custom software solutions, was expected to reach a valuation of USD 421 billion in 2032, growing from just USD 129 billion in 2022. 

Where EdTech fails, custom software solutions take over. Custom software development has paved the way for future EdTech solutions that can be created to fit any and every criteria set out by the educational institution having it developed. Let’s look at the many ways custom software solutions can address the challenges of remote learning that EdTech previously couldn’t:

• Personalized Learning Platforms

The power of custom software lies in its ability to adapt to the different needs of various platforms. It can handle everything from adaptive learning paths and feedback mechanisms to personalized content delivery. Students can get a feel for their progress by adjusting it according to their pace and completely mastering concepts before they move on to more complex ones.

• Interactive Learning Tools

Custom software can hold features that promote not only real-time interaction and collaboration but also elements that are “game-like.” Apart from this, custom e-learning software can have interactive whiteboards, quizzes in the form of games, and breakout rooms in virtual classrooms, all of which make learning more interactive and encourage active participation.

• Accessibility Features

Custom software that prioritizes accessibility is the next big move for EdTech solutions for remote learning. With accessibility in mind, the software ensures that all learners are included. Developers can add several features to custom EdTech software, such as text-to-speech conversion, closed captions, and various input methods like voice and text, to cater to students with diverse learning needs.

• Real-time Data and Feedback

The sector of remote learning previously failed to track students’ progress, generate their reports, and gain data-driven insights from their platforms. Building custom software completely changes this by enabling more personalized instruction, providing early intervention for struggling students, and allowing everyone space to grow within the system.

Custom software development additionally holds more advantages for educational institutions

• Scalability and Customization

Software can be built that caters to the specific needs of the institution and different enrollment sizes. Schools can start with functionalities that cater to the core participants and scale up and down however they please. 

• Integration with Existing Systems

Custom software can similarly make room for seamless integration within the school’s existing management system or learning platform. Not only does this streamline the workflow, but makes the data management process much more efficient. 

The development process for custom EdTech software typically involves several key stages

• Needs Assessment: The first step of the development process of custom EdTech software is identifying the challenges and goals your educational institution has. 
• Design: Design is one of the most important parts of custom e-learning software. The interface must be user-friendly but also consist of all the functionalities of the software, making it easy to use for both educators and learners. 
• Development: Then comes the main process, which is developing the software. The development team builds the software using different methodologies and languages based on the agreed specifications.
• Testing: Since there are going to be several users of the software, it is important that the software itself is tested for functionality, security, and performance so nothing goes wrong once it’s released. 
• Deployment: After testing and adjusting the software accordingly, it is launched for use within the educational institution that had it built. 

Through the structured approach, a top-tier custom software development company can deliver the EdTech solutions that you have been looking for to address the limitations of remote learning. Now, let’s learn about some examples of institutions that have not only implemented custom EdTech solutions but are leveraging the custom software to their advantage.

Success Stories of Custom EdTech Solutions

Custom EdTech software has the potential to transform the learning experience in remote environments. Let’s look at a few examples of how educational institutions have successfully implemented custom solutions:

Case Study 1: Pinewood Elementary School

Facing an intensely growing population of English language learners (ELLs), Pinewood Elementary faced several different challenges in providing the necessary support for these students within their “traditional” classroom. Pinewood Elementary School took this opportunity to get an EdTech development company to create a custom software solution that:

• Offering more personalized tools that any and every student can use to increase their language learning proficiency level. 
• Multiple gamified elements made the language learning experience more engaging and interactive. 
• Providing a clear real-time feedback alongside automated progress reports catering to both the students and the teachers.

The implementation of the custom software resulted in significant improvements

• Teachers observed an unprecedented increase in the English language acquisition rate of ELL students.
• The teachers of the school were now able to develop personalized instructions by gaining valuable data-driven insights.
• Ultimately, the software showed that student engagement and motivation towards language learning increased, alongside more and more students joining. 

University X

University X, a large learning app for African students, aimed to enhance their online learning platform and provide a more interactive experience for remote students. They had a custom software developed which featured:

• The virtual classroom environment of the software provided opportunities for real-time collaboration with tools like interactive whiteboards and breakout rooms. 
• The AI-powered tutoring system was able to provide personalized feedback and answer any queries that the students had as the lecture was going. 
• Assessments and quizzes in the form of games encouraged students to participate more, giving them more knowledge retention. 

The custom software yielded positive outcomes

• Increased student satisfaction with the online learning experience.
• Improved student engagement and participation in virtual classes.
• Enhanced learning outcomes as measured by improved test scores and course completion rates.

These case studies illustrate the power of custom EdTech software in addressing the specific needs of educational institutions and fostering positive learning outcomes in remote environments.

Leading EdTech Companies and Custom Software Solutions

EdTech companies around the world have used custom software development, creating industry-leading solutions; some of these prominent companies include:

• Duolingo: Duolingo, leading the language learning app industry, uses various customized algorithms that make up for more adaptive learning and ensures that users are challenged at the appropriate level. 
• Udemy: Udemy, being a one-of-a-kind online learning platform allows its instructors to sell and create various custom courses that cater to a diverse range of learning interests and needs. 
• Khan Academy: Khan Academy, a non-profit learning platform, uses custom software to deliver free-of-cost, personalized learning experiences in the most sought-after subjects in the world. Making quality education more accessible. 

These brilliant examples truly showcase just how important custom software development can prove to be for an unparalleled EdTech experience. Allowing these companies to create innovative, scalable, and accessible software solutions will educate a whole new audience of learners.

How Cubix Can Help in Your EdTech Journey

Cubix, being a leading software development company for the past 18 years, truly understands the transformative potential of custom EdTech software development. Being the key developers behind Horof, a revolutionary online learning platform that brings together talented tutors and motivated learners globally, we offer several comprehensive services that can help your institution with the creation of your own custom solution:

• Needs assessment and consultation: We work with you to identify your specific challenges and goals.
• Software design and development: Our experienced team designs and builds custom software tailored to your needs.
• Integration with existing systems: We ensure your custom software seamlessly integrates with your existing learning platforms or school management systems.
• Ongoing maintenance and support: We provide ongoing support to ensure your software remains up-to-date and meets your evolving needs.

Explore the possibilities of custom EdTech solutions for your educational institution, contact Cubix today. We’re here to help you unlock the full potential of remote learning and empower your students to thrive.