To succeed in the fast-paced world, we all need to continuously grow both professionally and personally. The coronavirus pandemic, which has been a highly influential factor in our daily lives, also made us look more attentively at remote learning. Online learning websites are growing exponentially and presenting more and more opportunities to improve the skills without leaving the comfortable space of a home office, couch, or even kitchen table. Such high demand is one of the many benefits of building an e-learning website right now.
Having previously discussed corporate learning management systems and their price, we will unravel how to create an e-learning website in this article.
What is an e-learning website?
3 Main Types of e-Learning Websites
There are many types of e-learning website solutions, let's have a look at the most common ones together with well-known examples.
Massive Open Online Courses Platforms
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are websites that have online learning courses available online on-demand. Among the most popular ones are Coursera and edX, which were created by Stanford University, Harvard and MIT respectively. These platforms offer courses and certifications for them, specializations (combination of courses), and degree programs in a variety of subjects. In order to access the majority of the content, a user needs to register within the system and enroll in the course. Teacher assessments and certification usually come with a fee
Moreover, some MOOCs come exclusively on a prepaid basis, e.g. Udemy, Masterclass, others, like Khan Academy, - are fully non-profit. In the majority of them, the interaction between students is limited to forums and comment sections under the video lessons.
Platforms for SOCs and LMS
Similar to MOOCs, synchronous online courses (SOCs) provide classes on various topics. However, they are scheduled to run at specific times and require online attendance and participation. Most universities offer SOCs in the current COVID-19 situation. Such courses do not necessarily require a separate website, therefore universities rely on LMS platforms, such as Canvas, Google Classroom, or Moodle for organizing coursework and assignments, providing feedback, and communicating with students.
Websites for Small Online Classes
These e-learning websites serve the goals of providing platforms for online consulting, one-on-one tutoring, and online group learning. Among popular examples are Verbling, Lingoda, Lessonface, and others. As classes on these platforms are conducted synchronously, they are often focused on one subject, rather than on a big variety of fields. The main aim of e-learning websites for small online classes is to provide communication between students and instructors.
Consequently, depending on the goal, you can consider creating different types of online learning websites. If you want to provide a big platform for various asynchronous classes or courses, MOOSc of various kinds would be most suitable. In case of favoring synchronous teaching and learning, you should choose SOCs, LMS or platforms for small online classes. Regardless of the type of your future e-learning website, there are important steps and processes in the development you might need to consider for the best outcome. Here are some pieces of advice in that regard.
4 Tips for Creating an e-Learning Website
Define your target audience
Once you have figured out you want to develop an e-learning website, you should ask yourself what is your target audience, namely, who would be your intended user. Consider answering what is their occupation, education level, goals that you are planning to help them achieve, and further specification. When you know who will be using the website and why, you can develop a business strategy.
Create a strategy and focus on USP
A business strategy is the set of objectives set for the business. This could be done autonomously or with the help of a consultant team that brings in-depth expertise knowledge. At this stage, it is important to construct your Unique Selling Points - some features that will make your e-learning project stand out from the competitors.
Combine basic features with additional elements that serve your needs in the development
Similar to LMS basic features, the core features of an e-learning platform consist of: user and role management, content management, testing and assessment, messaging and notifications, customization, and branding, as well as reporting and tracking. Additional features can highlight the USPs of the business, as they vary within different types of websites and include: pages of courses, payment settings, search and filtering systems, reward systems, forums or other ways of communication with tutors and students, etc.
Promote and improve
After completing the development stage of the website, it is important to focus on promoting it. Look again at your target audience and figure out how you can bring your e-learning platform to their attention. Social media marketing, search engine optimization, content marketing, etc. can boost your brand awareness and bring new customers. Additionally, you should also be ready to constantly revise and improve your website. Some suggestions can be made by your existing customers through feedback, reviews, and ratings.
How Piogroup can help
Having had a selection of projects in the edtech services, PioGroup Software recognizes the complexities of creating an efficient e-learning website. Our team is ready to start a dialogue and assist you in developing an e-learning website that will efficiently comprise basic and additional features. Contact us and lets turn your ideas into something incredible!
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Anastasiia Dyshkant
Content Marketing Manager
