Best Digital Learning Platforms for 2024:
While face-to-face sessions remain important, an increasing number of courses and learning are taking place online. This can be less expensive and easier to manage for academic organisations. Furthermore, eLearning enables educators to contact learners regardless of their physical location. Furthermore, with 73% of students planning to continue taking online classes even after the epidemic (McKenzie, 2021), eLearning is poised to become the future of education. The most effective digital learning platforms are at the heart of these educational advancements.
This is not to imply that traditional methods of education are on the verge of extinction, but academic institutions and corporations have realised that they can do a lot more with technology, such as smartphones and other internet-connected gadgets thatMake it possible to study from wherever. In this post, we will look at the top digital platforms that academic organisations (and even businesses) are using to promote remote learning.
Best Digital Learning Platforms Table of Contents
1: Key Digital Learning Platform Statistics
2: Why are digital learning platforms important?
3: Factors to Consider When Selecting a Digital Learning Platform
4. Best Digital Learning Platforms
Even before the epidemic, instructional technology had advanced significantly and gained widespread popularity. There has already been significant growth in this industry, with global EdTech spending hitting $269.87 billion in 2021 and online education rising to $585.48 billion by 2027 (Research and Markets, 2022). Since the start of the COVID-19 issue, there has been a significant increase in the usage of digital learning platforms and supporting technology like video conferencing, virtual tutoring, online PowerPoint viewers, and language learning apps.
Key Digital Learning Platform Statistics:
The epidemic devastated many sectors, but it also created opportunities for growth in the global education technology sector. However, as things return to normal and schools and colleges gradually open their doors, the more important question is how the sector will evolve and which business models inside EdTech will succeed. Leaders in the education industry believe that the shift in perspective of educators and students is analogous to the adoption of digital payments during the demonetisation period, and that this shift in behaviour will not be reversed now that they see so much value and convenience in it.
During the epidemic, institutions across the education sector, including those with low online enrolment rates, increased their technical infrastructure spending. The subsequent economic crisis also increased general adoption of particular EdTech products over others, which was consistent with the spending priorities created throughout crises. By the end of 2021, up to 87% of students were utilising video conferencing, recording, distribution, and accessibility technologies (Garrett et al., 2021).
The technologies deemed critical to the pandemic’s short-term management showed the greatest increases in overall general usage. These developments included the top digital learning platforms (also known as learning management systems), video conferencing and associated video infrastructure, assessment solutions, and virtual labs. Other areas of education technology, such as student aid, open educational resources (OER), and textbooks and supplies, saw higher net adoption rates in 2021. These may indicate a shift in institutional thinking when the emphasis shifts from crisis management to longer-term operations.
Why are digital learning platforms important?
Without technology advancements in recent decades and the swift acceptance of alternatives such as eLearning platforms, the pandemic might have had a more severe impact on education. Fortunately, digital learning platforms for K-12 and colleges pioneered a new strategy and paved the way for the future of education.
The great majority of educational technology is designed to make the job of instructors easier. Technology can help with practically every aspect of classroom management, from making it easier to obtain ready-made materials to providing organisational software that allows teachers to more efficiently monitor students’ academic progress, assignments, and attendance.
In addition to accessibility and efficiency, the benefits listed above have permanently transformed faculty members’ perceptions of online learning in general. Up to 58% of teachers think they are more hopeful about eLearning and its technologies (McKenzie, 2021).
A similar tendency can be found among students, with 57% reporting a more positive attitude on online education than they did prior to the outbreak. Nearly half of students (47%) reported that their perception of online test proctoring, which has been the topic of much debate due to privacy concerns, has also improved (McKenzie, 2021).
As a result of the quick acceptance and shifting behaviour towards online learning, the finest digital learning platforms for schools are growing to satisfy the increasingly complicated needs of educators and students. While each solution varies in certain ways, most modern eLearning platforms should offer the following features.
Content ManagementAbility to manage multilingual education contentAbility to support various content kinds, such as text, video, photos, and so on.Course creation functionalitiesUser-generated material.Storage and organisation of educational materialsSearch capabilities using titles, full-text, and metadata.
Capable of handling multilingual education content, including text, video, and images.
Course creation functionalities
Features include user-generated content and learning material organisation.
Search capabilities using titles, full-text, and metadata.
Content DeliveryInstruction and learner registrationMulti-device compatibilityUser profile containing course details, tests, and more.Online homework and assessment.Quizzes and tests are examples of learner performance assessments.Personalised learning paths.
Instruction and learner registration
Multi-device compatibility
User profile containing course details, tests, and more.
Online homework and assessment.
Quizzes and tests are examples of learner performance assessments.
Personalised learning paths.
Reporting and AnalysisLearners’ progression and historyFeedback Collection and DeliveryData visualisation includes content consumption, scoring, evaluation, satisfaction, and more.
Learners’ progression and history
Feedback Collection and Delivery
Data visualisation includes content consumption, scoring, evaluation, satisfaction, and more.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Digital Learning Platform:
Content Management Capabilities: Determine whether the platform supports multiple content formats such as text, video, and multimedia, as well as tools for course design, organisation, and search functionality.
User Access and Compatibility: Ensure that the platform is compatible with a wide range of devices, including smartphones and tablets, and that educators, students, and administrators have role-based access.
Personalised Learning Paths: Look for elements that enable personalised learning experiences, such as adaptive exams, gamified content, and user-specific recommendations that engage students and adjust to their learning pace.
Analytics and Reporting: Look for systems with powerful reporting features that track student progress, provide feedback, and enable data-driven decisions to improve learning outcomes.