The world is moving in the direction of digitalization. A lot of companies are considering developing eLearning apps. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the $600B higher education industry has already shifted to an e-learning format. And here comes the big question: how much does it cost to build an eLearning app?
In this article, we will talk about the cost but also the features and tools to develop an eLearning platform. Keep on reading if building an eLearning app like a language learning app is in your head but still not on the table of developers.
How to Develop an eLearning App from Scratch?
Yes, the idea is there. But where to start? Here are some tips to follow.
Tip 1. Shape your idea on a paper
Drawings, sketches, plans — anything will do! Put your idea on a sheet of paper and make clear what exactly you want. Do you want a website or a mobile app? Do you want a stand-alone product or a part of an educational platform?
Identify your target audience
Why would these people need your app? What is their objective? How can you meet these objectives? What is YOUR mission? Why are you doing this? What is your app’s goal? Do you need texts? Videos? Games? Audio? What format will your app take? Depending on your target audience, these may change. Here are the types of eLearning platforms you may consider:
• Student Management Systems (SMS)
• Assessment Software
• Virtual Classroom Software
• Video Conferencing Software
• Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)
• Learning Management Systems (LMS)
• Online Tutoring Platform
Once the mere idea in your head takes the form of a tangible format, you can move on to the next step.
Tip 2. Develop your technical specifications
Now that you have answered all the above questions, the technical specification document will take shape. This is a comprehensive technical document that explains the app’s specifications and features. Seems hard? It shouldn’t be hard if you completed Step 1. But in any case, you can hire someone to write the technical specifications for you or do it with your software development company.
Tip 3. Hire a software development company
A very important step that will determine the success or failure of your project. Later in this article, we will talk about companies that offer the best quality along with reasonable prices. But where can you find them? Here are some options to take:
- Search the web
- Search LinkedIn
- Read review agencies’ recommendations like Techreviewers, GoodFirms.
Once you have picked up one or two companies, go ahead research their portfolio. You may even want to contact past or present clients.
Tip 4. Develop the MVP
What is it? In short, MVP or Minimum Viable Product is the initial version of your product. Even the best ideas need to be tested in the market before the final product is released.
Now that you have your technical specification document, most of your MVP work is done (we will talk about features and functionalities in the following section).
Why do you need an MVP? The purpose is to collect feedback from early adopters. This feedback is a valuable source of information to adjust to the current market needs.
Tip 5. Develop the final product and build your marketing strategy
After you collect feedback from the early adopters and consider it thoroughly, you are ready to develop the final product. By now, you should have chosen your software development company. They will do the work for you.
When your product is ready, you need to advertise it. How will you do it? Here is a list.
- Social networks such as Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram
- Paid advertisements
- Direct contacts through public relations.
Features and Functionalities
Let’s look at some basic features and functionalities you should have in your eLearning app.
User-friendly interface
It goes without saying that your interface should be user-friendly. Students are lazy dudes, They don’t want to waste time to figure out how to do things and where is what. They should be able to search through courses, find assignments and check their own progress with a few clicks.
Push notifications
Students get instant messages on new courses, their progress, or anything else related to the training. Push notifications are one of the must-have features of an eLearning app.
Easy communication with tutors and peers
The app should enable easy communication with tutors and peers. This may be done by setting up course discussions, dashboards, and direct messaging.
Interactive assessments
At the end of each segment, there should be an interactive assessment tool like a general quiz. Other ways of assessment are videos as a checkpoint.
Social networks
Students are on social networks and they would love to share their progress or anything they like on social media. This is also a kind of feedback for you as you will understand what learning courses students enjoy most and want to share. Also, students can invite friends to join the app if they like it, creating a pool of new students for you.
To sum up, below are listed all features you need to have in your app. Choose the ones you think fit your needs. You may consult with your software company as well.
Features
• Student Module
• Teacher Module
• Parent Module
• Course Catalogue
• Search Bar
• User Profile
• Course Details
• Payments
• Students Management
• Test Management
• Course Management
• Content Updation
• Doubt Clarifications sessions
• Chat Managements
• Progress Tracking
• Attendance Tracking
• Reviews.
Consult also this list.
How Much Does It Cost to Build an E-Learning App?
I have done some research for you to answer the question ‘’How much does it cost to build an eLearning app?’’ The answer is obvious. It depends on the complexity of the app, the number of work hours, the location of the development team, and some other factors. You may consult other articles on ‘’how much does it cost to make a mobile app’’ and this will clarify a lot for you.
But how to estimate how much will your app cost from the onset so that you know whether it’s worth going into this business.
Here is a piece of research I found. According to Robyn A. Defelice, you need on average 55 hours to develop one hour of online training.
Does this clarify a little bit for you? I guess, yes, but you still have questions.
To answer the question ‘’how much does it cost to build an eLearning’’ app, you need to know how much you will pay per hour.
This question is easier to answer. You just have to choose the country of development and see the hourly rates of developers.
To help you, here is a list.
Now you need a final question to answer. How much time shall I need to develop at least the MVP? Here are lists for a students’ platform and a teachers’ platform separately.
How much time is needed to create MVP for an educational app for a student?
How much time is needed to make MVP for an educational app for a teacher?
Definitely, the price will change with the location of the developers. Assuming that the hourly rate is $40–60 and that the average project will take about 1000 hours, creating an e-learning app may be priced somewhere between $40,000 to $60,000.
Does this help? I guess a little. But guess what? I have created some math work for you! To be clearer on your estimate, you need to multiply the number of hours by the rate of developers. This may be different in different cases.
Final Thoughts
If you are tight on budget, software engineers in Eastern Europe are the best option to take. They can offer competitive quality along with reasonable prices. Contact Addevice for support. If you need feedback on what Addevice has done so far, check GoodFirms where top IT companies are included. Check our portfolio for more info and drop us a line for the estimate
