According to recent study results, 61% of app users said they would rather have a great mobile app than a great website, and 78% of people say they use apps on their mobile devices at least once per day. Mobile apps are changing the world, especially in the education and eLearning industry. Mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular with both students and teachers because they provide more benefits and are much more convenient to use than standard computer software programs or websites. Here are 3 ways mobile apps impact the eLearning industry in 2017.
1| LMS (Learning Management System)
If you aren’t aware, a learning management system (LMS) is a software platform that provides administrators, teachers, learners, and other stakeholders with support for many education functions – from communication to collaboration to delivery. It helps manage courses, assets such as videos and documents or assessments, and it features an integrated grade book. In many cases, they also allow students to connect for collaboration. LMSs have been gaining popularity as MOOCs continue to explode: In 2013 alone, Coursera recorded more than 3 million student enrollments compared to just 16 million total student enrollments between 2009-2012. One MOOC provider even reported that 15% of its students had never taken any online classes before at all.
2| Collaboration tools
Collaboration tools can be great for remote teams and enhance communication inside a traditional office environment. As more companies implement BYOD (Bring Your Device) policies, it’s essential to keep your employees’ communication needs in mind when working with third-party tools. To get started with mobile collaboration tools, start by looking at your business needs and finding an app that aligns with those needs. You might find that you want apps that allow quick video calls or allow employees to connect through shared calendars or word processing documents — or maybe you need to have something custom developed. Whatever your goal, it’s up to you to decide what works best for your company.
3| Classroom management systems
If you’re a busy teacher, classroom management software can be your best friend. A well-designed system can help you track student progress on various projects, from developing individual learning plans to sending automatic reminders for upcoming assignments. In an ideal world, you’d have time to do all of that manually. If a class schedule is a hassle for you, your teachers’ toolbox could include a digital whiteboard that lets everyone share ideas about what students should tackle next. There are even tools that let parents take part in their child’s education remotely; it’s one more way mobile apps are shaking up our traditional notions about how we learn new skills.
4| Communication tools
The speed at which mobile app development has occurred is astounding. In a few short years, Apple’s App Store and Google Play have grown to offer more than 3 million applications. There are many examples of education-based apps that are being used by students today. For example, Khan Academy offers several educational apps aimed at both students and parents (e.g., Khan Coach) to help increase understanding on topics ranging from math to chemistry. Another example is Duolingo, an app designed for people who want to learn languages other than English, which recently raised $20 million in venture capital funding to expand its offerings beyond Spanish into new languages like German, French, Italian, and Portuguese.
5| Resources and content
It is not to say that mobile apps will be taking over from regular textbooks; however, they are still far more effective than most other forms of digital content. According to one recent study, 65% of students use their mobile phones at least once a day, while 33% keep their phones on them 24/7. The same survey found that 42% only used regular textbooks at school—most don’t even bring them home! A similar survey showed 57% used a combination of both paper books and mobile devices for learning. Either way, it’s clear that mobile devices are being used for education—and that number is only likely to increase as more schools incorporate innovative technology into classroom instruction.
6| Easy to Acess
With mobile apps, students have more access to learning than ever before. They can study at home on their tablet, in a coffee shop, or just about anywhere with wi-fi. Without mobile devices, we may never see an increase in literacy rates among students who don’t have Internet access at home. A 2012 KPCB survey found that 40% of all American children 8-18 live without Internet access.
7| Minimize Learning Costs
Would you mind not underestimating how important it is to have a robust mobile app development strategy? Not only can your strategy impact learning costs, but it also impacts adoption rates, user satisfaction, engagement rates, and even retention. Prioritize your learning activities around these areas. There are many ways to learn about mobile apps for education; however, there are few things you should keep in mind as you plan your strategy. It’s all about being proactive with new trends so that you can maximize their effectiveness as soon as possible.
8| No limit on learning
With mobile devices getting more advanced every day, we can expect more capabilities to be added to them. For instance, if you download an app on your phone for one subject, it wouldn’t be too much to ask that it connect with or link up with apps for other issues. That way, your education journey is not limited by textbooks but allows you total flexibility to learn whenever, wherever. Your path may look different from those who came before you, but that doesn’t mean that your way is any less valid or valuable than theirs was (nor does it mean that they are any less valuable or practical than yours).
| Final Words
The emergence of mobile apps is revolutionizing every industry, including education. The next generation of learners is adopting mobile as their preferred method to consume information. Creating a mobile app offers significant advantages over traditional educational formats for businesses, educators, or anyone interested in expanding their reach to a new audience. Mobile apps can also improve engagement for students who may be reluctant to complete traditional learning resources. If you are looking for app developers there are many app development companies in India that can help in building apps for e-learning.
