E-learning platform can be said to be the revolutionary solution to the traditional way of education developed with the help of Digital means. E-learning platform along with the students also helps experts in a particular field to earn a royalty income with online course development. Some of the major benefits e-learning apps and websites offer to learners in comparison to traditional means are

· Self paced learning opportunity

· Studying at own time

· Guidance from Experts in the field

· Comparatively cheaper than traditional education

· Learning from the comfort of home

· Can choose the course based on the particular skill one would like to develop

· Study courses that are being taught at the best universities all over the world.

E-learning platforms offer courses in multiple aspects of the daily or career or business skills required as per one's needs. E-learning platforms offer courses in the latest technological advancements which help new and advanced technologies applications to spread way faster than they would have in traditional education formats. One such example which reaps the benefits of e-learning platforms is AI and Blockchain technology.

The most popular online courses offered by one or various e-learning platforms are

· Web & Mobile App Development

· Digital Marketing

· Business Strategy and Growth Hacking

· AI and Machine Learning

· Blockchain Technology

· Graphic Designing

It is important to note the benefits and the popular courses offered by e-learning platforms before understanding How to develop an e-learning platform as it will help you in evaluating your target audience needs better.

How to Develop an E-learning Website and App

The development process of e-learning platforms or any application development in that matter is driven by its basic need to the features a user would prefer or love in the platform. So the first step is to decide on the features you would like to implement in the platform.

Basic Features of E-learning Platforms

1. Accessibility across devices

Now day’s smartphones can achieve most of the work that one used to require a PC or laptop. Also, depending on the place a user is, their preference to use a laptop or smartphone might vary depending on the comfort and other factors. So the basic necessity of the user is to access the platform with their login credentials across various devices.

2. Certificate of Completion

Along with the development of skills a user requires hard proof which they can showcase to their employers or in future interviews. So this hard proof of completion certificate should be provided to the users only after the course is completed.

3. Access to course reviews and ratings

Before a user purchases the selected course on the e-learning platform they should be able to access authentic reviews to make a purchase decision. The rating and review parameter should be developed in such a way that only the user who completed the course should be able to post the review to avoid any fake postings.

4. Detailed Information regarding the Instructor

The user should be made available with complete profile details of the instructor along with expertise and experience that makes them the best instructor for a particular skill.

5. Temporary or Permanent Access to Course

This is one of the features that would impact the maintenance cost of the platform as offering lifetime access to particular users results in high Server and data storage costs. So decide on the access time for the user from its course purchase time.

6. Payment Integration

The user should be offered multiple ways in which they could make payments on the platform for course purchases. Make sure the payment system integration is fast and error-free as it can especially destroy the value of the platform.

Advanced Features of E-learning Platforms

1. Chat Feature

The chat feature can help the different students discuss problems or ideas related to the course or skill. The chat feature can also be implemented with Bot or live chat features depending on the user’s needs.

2. Video or Audio Call Feature

This feature can be considered as the most important feature that can define the overall customer satisfaction for your e-learning platform to be developed. This feature can be offered to the audience who purchased and after completed the course has some doubts related to the content offered or implementation methods.

3. Multi-Language Support

This feature is suggested for large e-learning platforms like Udemy. So if you are looking to find an answer for How to Develop an e-learning app like Udemy then this feature can be of better use. Multi-language support in the e-learning platform helps students with a better knowledge of regional languages than say a universal English language.

The above-mentioned features are just the tip of the iceberg in the process of How to Build an e-learning platform. After deciding on the features to be implemented in the e-learning platform the next step is to decide on the technology required for implementing the decided features.

Technology Stack Behind E-learning Websites and App

The backend technology behind any app is the backbone for efficient performance. The best backend tech is the combination of several frameworks and programming languages. So in the case of E-learning App Development, the best backend that can be used is referred below

Now that we have covered the major technical part behind How to create an e-learning platform, it is time to discuss the business opportunities that lie in launching an e-learning platform.

Revenue Generation Model in E-learning Platforms

Depending on the type of platform, the target audience, and the size of the platform there are multiple ways to generate revenues from the e-learning platform. The individual or combination of revenue generation methods can be selected from the below methods

· Advertising poster or Video

· Monthly or yearly subscription

· Individual course purchase

· Affiliate

· Corporate e-learning courses

· Donations

The above-mentioned models list all the opportunities behind e-learning Website and App Development. The most popular revenue generation model in e-learning platforms is the subscription or Individual course purchase model and the most undervalued of them is the affiliate model.

You can get a detailed understanding of each of the models at Cost to build an e-learning app.

Conclusion

The E-learning industry has definitely got a bright future with the release of the latest technologies and the requirement to adopt that technology at a rapid speed all over the globe. Also, the availability of cheap and fast internet along with the icing on the cake of more smartphone usage has opened a huge growth path for the e-learning Industry.

Recently due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, people were forced to stay indoors and with better time management with Work From Home, the e-learning platforms got a sudden growth as people had time to upskill their knowledge and improve their career with the use of e-learning platforms.

Hope the article equips you with enough knowledge to start your e-learning website and app development journey.