The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes in our society, ranging from travel and entertainment to education. With the entire world in quarantine, businesses, as well as schools and universities, had to adapt to the fast-growing world of remote work and learning. So naturally, the focus on developing software and applications to accommodate these changes was placed on office work. However, in addition to employees, there is a group that was just as hard or perhaps more affected by the lockdowns, our students and pupils. In particular, they needed functional applications that would allow them to continue their studies without sacrificing the quality of their education.

While we all hope that our daily lives will return to normal as soon as possible, we cannot ignore the fact that working and distance learning are concepts that we can no longer imagine in our society. A process that the pandemic has accelerated. Already, research shows that a large proportion of students prefer to learn online rather than sitting on the school/college benches. As distance learning becomes increasingly popular, developing the right software has become vital. We want to show how we can effectively solve the most common problems using the user-friendly Educatioo app.

The Challenges of E-learning

Distance learning, E-learning, and the rapid transition from the classroom to the kitchen table have exposed challenges that both students and educators face in online education. In addition, the rapid shift to virtual classrooms also accelerated the development of distance learning applications suitable for students and educators. Here we give our view on teachers' and students' most frequently mentioned challenges.

Learning at home: less contact with the teacher and fellow students

It is undeniable that schools are not only there to learn but also to make and maintain social contacts. It is at school where we make our first and often long-lasting friendships. The lack of social interaction as a result of E-learning and distance learning can have severe consequences on the motivation and satisfaction of the learner. Student or student performance can suffer at any level, making distance learning more difficult.

Unfortunately, the widely used distance learning applications do not provide the ability to engage in teacher-student dialogue. Instead, they offer a generic piece of text that is presented to all students, leaving no room for teacher-student interaction. The only option these applications provide is feedback after a question has been asked or after an assignment has been submitted. There is no interaction whatsoever.

Teacher and student satisfaction

To increase the satisfaction of both teachers and students and enable them to make connections that make distance learning more effective, schools need to deliver teaching material to facilitate social interaction. Whether it is about virtual games and activities that enable a bond between peers or implementing an online learning application such as Educatioo. An app allows teachers to engage with students instead of the regular feedback afterward. By personalizing the teaching material, the student's motivation will increase, and the effectiveness of the teaching material will increase. In addition, due to a more pleasant learning experience, pupils and students participate more actively in the online lessons.

Learning delays and not enough teacher attention

It is difficult, if not impossible, for teachers to observe their students' performance and address any problems they may have during virtual lessons. Not being able to observe the student's behavior and not being able to pay extra attention to those who are having a hard time can lead to pupils and students dropping out, which in turn can result in lower numbers and duplication. Unfortunately, it is impossible to tailor an entire lesson to one student falling behind. Most distance learning applications do not offer the ability to adapt assignments, quizzes, and homework to each level of the student. The applications currently used for distance learning, e-learning, are simply assessment applications that value correct answers and completion over fundamental understanding and knowledge.

How do you improve E-learning - distance learning?

To enhance each student's learning experience and make sure they really understand the topic and not just guess the correct answers, teachers must individualize each student's learning paths. For example, when a student chooses the wrong answer, it is not good to show them the correct answer and move on to the next question. The ideal solution would be for each incorrect answer to explain what went wrong, followed by a question of the same category to test the student's understanding of the course material. However, few and indeed no affordable applications offer such a solution. Educatioo can do this!!

Educatioo Teaching & Assessment App - Dialogue Simulation

Educatioo enables teachers to adapt lessons to create individual learning paths. The pupil/student who has already mastered the material can click through the offered teaching material, select the correct answers and complete the course. Students who need additional explanation or more repetitions of the concept can see the question explained again from a different angle with this adaptively constructed way of presenting. This increases the understanding of the teaching material. With the reporting tool within the Educatioo Teaching and Assessment App, teachers gain insight into the learning process of their students. For example, how many iterations of the concept did the student need to understand the idea, what areas might need improvement, and which parts of the lessons were easy for the learners/students? Using this information, teachers can adjust their lesson plans and consider any problems the majority of the class encounters.

E-learning, what's the future?

In addition to the almost forced rapid developments in education, the business community is also forced to offer more and more online education and coaching. Many people choose to complete their education online because it reduces commute time, provides more flexibility, and is often more convenient because assignments can be completed at the desired time. The current situation reinforces the shift towards distance learning, but the trend has already been visible in recent years.

Distance learning will continue to grow in popularity due to its necessity and the convenience it brings. As we work to reduce the challenges that many educators and students are currently facing, this trend will become a norm, and more students, employees, and employers will switch to online education. The optimal solution is to provide schools with the right resources to make this transition efficient and effective. The Educatioo Teaching and Assessment App is one of them.