May 5th, 2020 | Updated on April 18th, 2023
The growth of the eLearning market is being propelled by a number of factors, but the COVID-19 pandemic is the primary driver. The market is expected to quadruple in size from around $250 billion in 2020 to $1 trillion by 2027.
This growth is being driven by demand in emerging markets, the growth of mobile learning, and other factors. But the COVID-19 pandemic is the main reason for this explosive growth.
Global Market Insights Report On eLearning
The eLearning market is growing rapidly, with an estimated value of over 1 trillion dollars by 2027, according to a report released by Global Market Insights.
This growth is due to the increasing adoption of eLearning solutions by the government sector, which allows for a flexible, customizable, and user-friendly learning platform. This growth is likely to continue in the coming years as more and more organizations see the benefits of eLearning.
According to the report, the rapid e-learning technology segment is growing rapidly due to the many benefits it offers. This technology helps courses be delivered quickly and effectively, within timelines, and with the correct instructional design.
Compared to traditional e-learning, rapid e-learning can help distribute information more quickly based on well-designed instructional products. This makes it an extremely valuable tool for online learning, and its popularity is sure to continue to grow in the years to come.
E-learning To Emerge As Pillar Of Strength
In The Post-Pandemic World
According to UNESCO, more than 1.2 billion children were forced out of their classrooms by the outbreak by April 2020. This number is only expected to grow in the coming weeks and months as the pandemic continues to spread.
This is a significant number, as the lack of education can have a lasting impact on these children’s lives. Although many schools have been closed in order to prevent the spread of the virus, it is important to remember that these children still need access to education.
The novel coronavirus has become one of the deadliest threats to humanity. It forced mass shutdowns of activities across the industrial spectrum, including in the educational sector.
The pandemic is still looming large, and education has not returned to normal. However, the way it is delivered has changed dramatically, and this change has been quite beneficial for the e-learning market. E-learning allows students to learn at their own pace and in their own time, which makes it a perfect fit for our modern world.
So, if you are looking for an idea for a new startup, an e-learning app is a great option to consider. That being said, an idea is only half the battle. It’s crucial to choose the right concept, and think of features, design, and other aspects.
Let’s review the types of successful e-learning projects, their features, and their development costs.
What Are E-Learning Web Apps?
An e-learning web app is an online site where one can get educational materials on a paid basis. These materials come in a variety of forms: texts, charts, PDFs, video/audio lectures, presentations, and so on.
The “students” of these sites can track their progress, and after final testing, they usually get diplomas or certificates.
There are several business models of e-learning apps. In the framework of this article, we’ll review two popular approaches through the example of two popular web platforms.
1. Coursera
This is a major educational platform, which collaborates with the world-known colleges and universities. The attendants of the courses get access to master-classes and lectures of university professors. A monthly fee for the courses varies from $39 to $79; all the graduates get certificates in the end.
2. Udemy
This is another popular online project but its approach is different. The authors of its courses are individual tutors and teachers.
The main advantage of the platform is a huge choice of classes to choose from: over 130 thousand courses at the price ranging from $20 to $200.
Both business models proved to be quite effective. At the same time, both have some drawbacks. When thinking of developing an e-learning app, consider both strong and weak points of the chosen approach.
Must-Have Features Of An E-Learning Platform
Of course, you may pack your web app with as many features as you wish. Probably, some of them will turn really useful. However, there are some core, basic features, which make an e-learning platform.
Let’s review briefly these must-have features that you will find on any educational website.
- A sign-up page/profile management. Registration is compulsory for all members of an e-learning platform, so there must be a simple log-in/sign-up form. For a registered user, there must be a feature of profile management for changing account settings.
- Search filters. This feature helps search for courses by various criteria: price, popularity, discipline, level, and so on. It’s a good idea to add the feature of searching by keywords and autosuggestion of popular options,
- Dashboard. This is a panel where your actions in the system and statistics are displayed. Students need it to track their progress, while tutors can use it to track their weekly/monthly revenue, the number of students, and ratings.
- A course page. It contains complete information about a particular course: its cost, duration, number of lessons, authors, materials, and customer reviews. Here, a user can find a description of the cost and make a decision on whether to buy it or not.
- A payment page. E-learning site developers must create a safe and convenient system of payments. Students must be able to pay for the courses, while tutors must have a possibility to withdraw their earnings. Major websites support various payment methods, including e-wallets, credit, and debit cards.
- Course editing. This feature is meant for the authors of e-courses. They need to have a possibility to delete or edit their courses, add materials, tests, charts, files, etc.
- On-site notifications. This is a useful feature that helps users stay aware of the latest news, new offers, and special campaigns.
- An admin panel. This is a must-have feature for the project administrators who need to manage user accounts and content.
How To Develop An E-Learning Web App
The process of an e-learning site development consists of three main stages that are subdivided into smaller goals. The three major tasks that you need to resolve are the following ones:
- Choose the right type of content based on the demands of your target audience. Make a “portrait” of a typical user of your site: his/her age, level of education, interests, etc.
- Find a professional team of qualified developers. Irrespective of the web app type, you need to focus on the quality of backend and frontend development. At this stage, you need to decide between in-house and outsource web development.
- Look for professional tutors or course authors who can offer high-quality content at a reasonable price.
How Much Does It Cost To Create An E-Learning Site?
To calculate the final price of the project you need to know how long the development will take. Just multiply the number of hours on the hourly rate of the developers to get the total cost.
The developers’ rates vary significantly depending on the country of their residing. Approximate rates are the following:
- The USA/Canada – $150 per hour;
- Australia – $100 per hour;
- Western Europe – $100 per hour;
- Eastern Europe – $50 per hour.
Let’s take the floor price of $50 per hour and an approximate number of hours needed for the development of an MVP app – 1095.
The total price, in this case, will be $54 000. A full-featured project will require at least 1200 hours of developer work. This will give the final price of $187 000.