Mobile Apps For Schools
Last year, we witnessed a magnanimous shift in the way we view technology. Often undermined and quite infamous amongst the older generation, technology has changed in more ways than ever imagined. Today, it has charted every industry and proved to be an invaluable descent to human evolution. One would imagine the field of education removed from the shadow of technology, but it’s interesting to find that the opposite is true. After all, education is also more of a business and less of a social service today. But the development of the educational sector is partly due to the glorious evolution of smartphones and mobile applications. Today, students have a unique dynamic with technology. They no longer use it for entertainment and to maintain social connections; they utilize technology to solidify their academic journey and improve their learning trajectory. These advanced methods act as a bridge between teachers and students.
Today's students lead a more convenient and progressive lifestyle, thanks to the plethora of educational apps at their disposal. Due to the development of mobile educational apps, students have access to educational material like never before. They can access lectures, course material, research papers, and past papers with a simple tap and swipe. They could be anywhere globally and still get in touch with their teachers through video or voice calls. eLearning apps have truly digitalized education and turned these lucrative app developers into household names. It is a business niche that earns large revenue and rewards for both users and developers.
Whether you want to revisit a lecture to clarify a topic or seek help doing homework, there are apps for everything. 43% of students in the United States find eLearning methods far more convenient and helpful. In addition, statistics reveal that 36% of students find these apps favorable in organizing their schedule and study material. And we left the best for last: 81% of students think digitalized learning has boosted their grades significantly!
In 2021, more than 20 million students and faculty members use educational apps designed and launched by Google. Moreover, there are 400+ colleges and universities that post lectures on YouTube. This niche is so popular that it rounds off to an 8.5% share on the Apple App Store.
Examples And Ideas For School And Education Mobile Apps
Now that we’ve settled the relevance of school mobile apps today, we must discuss the different types of school and education mobile apps currently dominating the tech world. We’re going to get straight to the point by making a list.
- Students attendance app
- Online tuition app
- Exam preparatory app
- Interview/viva preparatory app
- Parent-teacher app
- Language learning app
- Mock tests app
- Quiz and puzzle app
- Online lessons app
- School management app
What Makes A Great School App?
We’ve discussed the different types of apps so far. But do you know what makes all of these apps so special? Why do you think they got so popular? These apps must be fulfilling needs that were previously left unattended. Let’s go over it briefly.
What is it that one would expect from a basic school app? Firstly, a user would want it to be smooth, secure, and compatible with different mobile operating systems and interfaces. In addition, one would expect the mode of communication to be reliable and quick. Considering the pandemic and its proceedings, the users of the platform would prefer a smooth and efficient experience.
Hence, they would like the faculties, parents, and students to be on the same page, which can only happen if there are daily or weekly reports on the students' progress. Weekly newsletters and grade reports would be highly appreciated. Moreover, to make these apps great, one would want the communication to be transparent, fast-paced, and effective. An app shouldn’t just be profitable to developers but also convenient for the users.
Advantages Of A School App
The benefits of having a school mobile app are endless, but we can put it simply by suggesting that it would favor the school management, the faculty, and students. Schools could create an online presence and have a strong digital presence to increase their business and lend funds. Apart from this, teachers and parents could stay connected and discuss the students' performance more regularly due to easy accessibility and quick response. And, of course, students could get notified of the tasks and assignments along with exam preparations.
Features To Add In School Mobile Apps
Below we’ve categorized and listed some of the features that could be great should you decide to create a school mobile app.
1. Parents' Coordination Panel
- Receive weekly school newsletters via email
- Get constant updates on student performance
- Notes and reminders for parents
- Calendars for school events
- Attendance records
- Final academic reports
- Tuition transfer
- Alerts for upcoming examinations and tests
2. Student Panel
- Study tips
- Course material
- Examination rules
- Event calendar
- School newsletter
- View and submit assignments and reports
- Attendance
- Online lectures
3. Admin Panel
- Study material
- FAQs
- Reports
- Manage student accounts
- Create event calendars
- Deliver student reports
Apart from the features above, it would be delightful to add advanced features like push-notifications, in-chat, payment integration, student database, and video lectures. This way, parents and students may receive real-time updates and track student activities. Users may also find it easy to interact within the app—great for exchanging notes and assisting students. Matters of tuition fees and other payments should also be catered to through these apps.
Is Creating A School Mobile App Costly?
Look, creating a mobile app from scratch is costly. Hence, if you want to design an app that comprises the basic functionalities, it can take up from $25,000 to $35,000. And if you want to integrate advanced features, the cost can go up to $70,000! Therefore, you have to make some serious decisions. What kind of app are you planning to create? What kind of features would it have? What would be the hourly rate of the app? Technically, it varies from country to country and company to company, but you can manage a basic outline and execution strategy.
Another factor that decides the cost of an app is the platform it is being created for. The more platforms it caters to, the higher the cost of app development. Of course, as we mentioned earlier, the features are going to decide the cost for real. Like, do you wish to create an app that only offers the basic features and nothing more creative? The cost of such an app will likely be less.
In contrast, an app that has more advanced features will be on the higher end. Figure out if you want any of the third-party API integrations because these may also change the figure. There are multiple stages of app development. It has to go through prototyping, wireframing, testing, etc. Just remember one thing: The more complex the interface and design are, the more expensive the app gets. And last but not least, the app will also need money for maintenance. You will regularly want to revise it and fix bugs or code optimize.
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